KrazyKuch's & Michika's 180Gal Tank Build

[michika]

Alright I need to finally make a firm and lasting decision on salt. I used Red Sea Coral Pro very happily until about Dec. 2007. Then I couldn't find anymore after we moved back to Calgary, so I hopped around from Ocean Pure Pro, to Instant Ocean, to Reef Crystals.

I found OPP didn't do anything for my tank overall, I had to fight extra much with Ca and dKH levels when I used it. IO and RC always leaves a lot of crap at the bottom of my mixing barrels. Red Sea Pro left a lot of crap too, but I Ca and Mg. weren't such an uphill battle.

So I'm debating Reefer's Best as my next trial product. I go through about a bucket every couple of months. I do not use any of the bacterial systems, but I hear good things about the potassium regardless of if I'm running a low-nutrient system. I admit I do hesitate at the price.

So I'm not really sure what to do right now, do I switch to trying RB salt, or do I stick with something else? My biggest ongoing issues is, and seems to always have been, low dKH. While I think I might have a solution to the low dKH in the form of a new Ca reactor, I think it would be prudent to maybe find a salt mix that would help solve the issue as well.

[Skimmerking]

i have always used IO and just beef the CAL with calcium additive for my water change Catherine and i have never had a problem since 2002.

[michika]

Every tank I've had has had low dKH since I started adding clams into my systems. I am almost positive it is clam related based on all the data I've collected on my parameters.

I think my last dKH reading was 5, or 6. When I hit the sweet spot, which is 8, things just take off with growth.

My Ca. levels are fine (usually about 400-440), its just the dKH gets sucked up so quickly in my system that my reactor couldn't previously meed the dKH demand. I'm hoping that the new Ca. reactor will help balance everything properly.

I've never found supplementing my WC water to have any better benefit vs. non-supplemented water. What happens if you don't mix in the additional Ca and you do a WC?

[Skimmerking]

pm me your number i will talk to you about what I do ok. im off today lol

[michika]

I am unfortunately still at work...

[fishytime]

Whats your mg at?

[christyf5]

I'm using RBS currently, I switched from IO which I was supplementing with zeomag (in my reactor) and of course my ca reactor. Thing is my potassium levels were low. At the time everyone was all hoo haa about potassium. My tank doesn't look any different (granted, I'm using zeo so technically it does look different but who knows if thats zeo or potassium ). Anyway, supplementing with all the various stuff was becoming a pain so I switched. All my levels are happy now. I found IO to be low in Mg and K but alk and ca were fine (Sr was also low but...whatever). Anyway, I've tried IO, Kent, Seachem and now RBS. So far RBS has been the best bang for my buck however when I run out and am not near J&L to get it likely I'll be back to IO as I hate paying shipping for salt.

[michika]

Mag. is 1320 upon last measurement, which was two weeks ago. It rarely moves around, I think the lowest its been since we moved was 1280 and the highest was 1360.

Thankfully RBS is locally available, so I can avoid the shipping costs. I've actually never bought salt and had it shipped. I've always been very lucky that way.

[Pan]

Best test results i've ever got to date is with h2ocean. Mind you I don't use it. too expensive. I like ocean pure pro, never had a problem....oceanic salt isn't to bad.

[fencer]

Actually h2ocean is my first choice for the UltraLith test. But no one cares it in Edmonton (I was told you can buy it at Golds). Coralife is my second and ME (aquacraft) is what I was using. I switched to Coralife bcause I needed to raise my potassium.